


decaf coffee

by honeymilks



Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: Fluff, Friends to Lovers, It is, M/M, Really cute I promise, and i write my babies soft, dont come here for that, even when you think it isnt, i am soft, i wrote this tired, im a big softie for seungjin, im emotional ugh, its cute promise, just read it coward, literally no smut, really soft, seungjin - Freeform, slowburn, sorry - Freeform, sorry if theyre messy, the softest, wrote these updates half asleep
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-22
Updated: 2019-08-06
Packaged: 2020-05-07 11:29:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 7,494
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19208473
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/honeymilks/pseuds/honeymilks
Summary: hyunjin and seungmin have been best friends since freshman year of college. five years later, they live together in an apartment and carpool home from their jobs located on the same busy street. and they’ve been in love with each other since the first year they met.hwang hyunjin works as a barista at quite possibly the trendiest coffee shop. and every night, he brings a decaf coffee (unless requested otherwise) to the publishing company and gives it to a soft boy named kim seungmin. every night, one of the two inevitably falls asleep in the car and every night one of the two inevitably falls deeper in love.





	1. he waited outside.

It was a quiet evening in the city. The moon casting soft lights on the buildings, people were laughing, cars were going by and it seemed that the air was fresh from the rain that poured that day. Petrichor filled the boy’s nose as he left the coffee shop he worked in. As he locked up, he thanked the sky for the rain pausing during his walk home. He felt lucky. He shook out his newly dyed blonde, almost light brown hair farther down the road.

It was nights like these where all his thoughts came to him at once. The sidewalks were slippery under his step, but the agility he gained from dancing allowed him to stay upright. His shoulders held the weight of one of the most difficult emotions to feel- love. He was so lost in thought that he didn’t realize where his feet where taking him, he almost walked past his destination. Backtracking, he realized he was only a couple buildings too far and walked back. When he arrived at the door of the publishing company, he knew better than to walk in.

The publishing company wasn’t a convenience store or a coffee shop that was easy to just approach. You need a purpose to walk in and his best friend, the boy he was madly in love with, already told him to wait outside his work if he was going to visit him. He quickly send the boy a text.

(7:45 p.m.) **hey minnie, im outside. dont rush.**

(7:46 p.m) hyunjin i told you i dont get off until 8:30, just come in. i dont want you to be cold.

(7:46 p.m.) **no its okay, i can wait. i cant go inside remember?**

(7:48 p.m) sometimes you’re dumb. i tell you to wait outside because there’s no waiting room and the ladies are gonna think we’re a couple.

(7:48 p.m.) **oh**

(7:48 p.m.) **sorry, i thought i couldn’t go in. are they gonna think we’re dating if i do?**

(7:49 p.m.) they already think we’re dating actually, but whatever i dont mind lol just come in

Hyunjin cursed at himself for letting himself smile at the boy’s texts. _He doesn’t mind?_ Maybe he sees Hyunjin the same way. He shook his head, he needs to stop giving himself hope. Hyunjin knew Seungmin was bisexual, but he always thought he leaned towards girls. Or at least, anyone but Hyunjin. He deserved someone perfect and Hyunjin desperately wanted to be that person for him.

He walked through the company, greeting the workers he already knew well. Everyone knew Hyunjin in the company, they called him “pretty coffee boy”. Hyunjin finally peeked his head into Seungmin’s office space. It was minimal, but there was still 5 empty to go coffee cups in the trash in the corner. The books on the shelf were out of order, meaning Seungmin looked at one of them today. He had a small blanket tucked onto the shelf and notebooks across his desk as well as papers.

He got up to hug Hyunjin and apologized for the mess, but Hyunjin couldn’t stop looking at him. He forgets that Seungmin wears nice clothing to work, but usually changes before he leaves. At least, he makes an effort to change when he’s going out with Hyunjin after. Hyunjin couldn’t figure out why, he never changed out of his work clothes. Granted that was a simple white shirt, black jeans, and white sneakers, but still. His work made him wear neutral colors, because their aprons are a deep blue. They want everyone to match a certain aesthetic so that they create an atmosphere. Also, everyone in the coffee shop agrees that what Hyunjin wears always look good so when Hyunjin walked in on his first day of work dressed like that- the next day it was uniform.

He gets a little embarrassed. Seungmin wore white sneakers like Hyunjin, but it was paired with belted black slacks and a button-up shirt half tucked in, half let out. And he looked… good, to say the very least. Seungmin caught Hyunjin smiling at him, tilting his head he asks, “Why are you smiling so much?”

Immediate regret coursed through him. _You just had to admire him, didn’t you? God, Hyunjin. Keep it together, he’s gonna get uncomfortable._ He pulled out a chair from the corner of the room and sat on it, crossing his legs among themselves. In grade school they called it “criss-cross applesauce”, Hyunjin still giggles at the name. “Well, I get to come into my best friend’s work and sit with him today, so that’s nice.” He was lying through his teeth. It was foolish of Hyunjin to think his best friend of 5 years couldn’t tell.

“Sure, Hyunjin. That’s what it is.” Sarcasm dripped from his tone into Hyunjin’s ears, making his face flush red with embarrassment. Seungmin begins to work, while Hyunjin looked through his phone quietly. He heard a couple of sighs from the working boy and looked up in question. Seungmin held his head in his hands, then ran them through his hair in frustration. Hyunjin looks away, but asks, “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m just sad,” Seungmin says, but the frustration in his voice tells another part of the story. “I’m trying to find more people in the company to read these novel drafts and I can’t. Everyone’s already full and I can only read so many, but I don’t want to put these in the pile.”

“The pile?” Hyunjin was intrigued, leaning forward. He desperately wanted to know more about Seungmin’s job, the boy in front of him never found it interesting enough to talk about.

“Yeah, publishing companies all have _the pile._ It’s where all the novels that we can’t take on or don’t find ‘interesting enough’ go. I try so hard to never get the novels I’m assigned into the pile. But I just…” Seungmin starts to whisper. “Don’t have enough time.”

Hyunjin knew that Seungmin cared about his job. He knew it meant a lot to him to read people’s novels and help them get published, but he did not know felt such deep care for his clients. His chest felt warm and he knew he was falling even deeper for the boy in front of him.

“Can I say something?” Hyunjin didn’t want to overstep; it was not his job, after all.

“You can always say something to me, Hyunjinnie,” Seungmin gazed at Hyunjin, something in his eyes that Hyunjin could not quite recognize. He almost missed the sweet name Seungmin called him. He blushed hard, willing the red to wisp away.

“It’s really admirable that you try so hard to help all these people. Don’t blame yourself for something you cannot control. If you don’t have time to get to their novels, don’t blame yourself. You tried, and that’s all that matters. What you do is enough,” Hyunjin said, only soft compassion coming off of his voice. “You’re enough.”

Seungmin stood up, grabbing Hyunjin’s hand. He pulled him up from where he was sitting, Hyunjin felt something grow in the pit of his stomach. He looks at the boy’s lips in front of him. To Hyunjin, they were beautiful and perfect. Seungmin saw him looking at his lips and smiled. Hyunjin panicked; he hands him the coffee he had been holding for 30 minutes.

“Here!” He loudly proclaimed. “This is yours. It’s decaf because it’s late. There’s foamed milk and I put only half a packet of sugar in.” Hyunjin’s coffee shop had clear lids, so they could do latte art. There was a dove out of foam in the coffee now pushed into Seungmin’s free hand. Seungmin was still holding onto Hyunjin’s hand tightly.

“Did Jeongin make this one?” Seungmin asks, the latte art was really well done and he knows Jeongin practices.

“No...No, I did,” Hyunjin scratches his neck, making Seungmin look up in surprise.

“I didn’t know you could do that! That’s so cool! How come you never did this in my coffees before?” Seungmin’s face lit up. Hyunjin melted. He was so weak in the knees for this boy and could never tell him how he felt. It would ruin everything.

“I don’t know, I just never thought you’d like it.” That was a lie. Hyunjin never wanted to be a minute later to see Seungmin. He practically rushed out of work everyday to wait for him. They carpool home together to their shared apartment. Living in the city was expensive and they had lived with each other before. Roommates for 4 years of college made them realize: they fit well together.

“What? That’s crazy! This is so cool. God, you’re…” Seungmin looks up at Hyunjin, squeezing his hand. “Very talented.” Silence ensued. In that moment, they remembered they were in a very public place with some very nosey coworkers. They unclasped their hands immediately, deciding to grab their backpacks and leave. It was 8:31 anyways.


	2. he ruffled his hair.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bear with me as I figure out how to use Archive cause I usually only write twitter fics lmao.

They walked together, their feet making soft pats against the concrete. The night air was cold and their noses were chilled by the time they reached their car. They drove in comfortable silence. The rain picking up beat down on the windows, Hyunjin turned on the windshield wipers. Seungmin insisted on driving, but Hyunjin gave him a convincing argument. The argument being Hyunjin pouting and Seungmin melting too quickly to say no again.  Seungmin took this time to admire Hyunjin. The white shirt he was wearing fit well, showing his broad shoulders true size, but loose enough around his arms to be comfortable. His eyelashes were long, the mole under his eye showing through the makeup that had worn off from a long day at work, his hair slightly messy from him shaking it out periodically. Seungmin noticed his hair was a bit wavier because of the humidity. He smiles.

 

Seungmin loves the drives home from work, especially when a hyunjin would drive. He always noticed something new about him when he was stationed in the passenger seat. It had been like this for a long time, but every drive Seungmin’s chest warms up a little more.  Sipping his coffee, he feels it warm his stomach. It also warms his whole body, he looks at the dove adorning the top of the drink and he feels even warmer. He knows the feeling wasn’t from the heat of the coffee, it was from sentiment. 

 

Seungmin was so in love with Hyunjin and he always had been. He fell for him first year of college. He watched him practice dance until he almost passed out at 2 a.m. Seungmin told him he should take a break, but he insisted that until he could hit the choreography sharper, he wouldn’t. Around 2 a.m. he couldn’t take it anymore and he stopped and swayed a little. 

_ “Hyunjin, are you okay? Please take a break.” He stood up and held Hyunjin’s waist, trying to steady him. That’s when he saw his eyes starting to close and felt his body get heavier. Quickly, Seungmin dropped Hyunjin down in a chair, a little harshly from his panic, and grabbed one of the water bottles they kept in the corner of the room.  _

 

_“Drink it slowly and you don’t have a choice.” Hyunjin drank, but still swayed in the chair. Seungmin guided him to the floor and laid him on his back, lifting his legs straight up. “Trust me on this one, Jinnie.” Hyunjin finally started breathing easier, even though he gained a headache. When 20 minutes had passed and Seungmin was less nervous, he laid down next to him, “You can’t get up or sleep for another hour just in case, okay? I’ll just lay here with you.” Hyunjin didn’t speak, he just stayed. _

 

_ After a long time, Hyunjin speaks, “I’ll listen to you next time when you tell me to take a break, I’m sorry I burdened you.”  _

 

_ “It’s not a burden, Hyunjin. It’s not a big deal, anyone would do that. When someone almost passes out, you just have to lay them down and lift their legs, I learned that in high school. I thought it didn't matter then, like it was stupid. Come on? When would I ever need to keep someone from passing out? I'm glad 15 year old Seungmin paid attention. Honestly, anyone would do that, Hyunjin it's no big-" Hyunjin grabbed Seungmin’s hand that was on the floor between them, interrupting his ranting out of nervousness, and they turned to face each other. It hit Seungmin,  **He’s absolutely perfect.**   _

 

_ “No, not anyone would do that. But you did, and for that, I am grateful. You’re selfless, thank you.” Seungmin had to look at the ceiling, because he felt his cheeks warm. Seungmin had a girlfriend, he couldn’t think about Hyunjin like this. He convinced himself that his feelings for Hyunjin and the attraction he felt would go away in a week, it would be fine. But they never stopped, they only got stronger and more distracting. Seungmin broke up with his girlfriend, crying. He felt guilty. But even then, Hyunjin reassured him "You can't help if you lose feelings for someone, don't feel bad Seungminnie." He always knew how to calm him down. _

 

Seungmin blushes thinking about that time, the first time he really fell for Hyunjin. Of course, it had to be when Hyunjin almost passed out on their dorm floor by being a dumbass. He sips his coffee, hearing a soft voice, “What are you thinking about?” Hyunjin turns into the parking garage for their building, finds a spot, parks, and turns to face Seungmin before he manages to answer. 

 

“Uh, just memories.”

 

“Really? Like what?” Hyunjin opened the door, grabbing both boys’ backpacks and holding them in one hand. They walk, Hyunjin holds out his free hand and Seungmin takes it. Routine. Hyunjin convinces himself it’s platonic, unknowing that Seungmin convinces himself the same. Also, Routine.

 

“When your dumbass almost passed out freshman year,” Seungmin smirks hearing Hyunjin groan in embarrassment. 

 

“I forgot about that,” Hyunjin stopped walking to stare at the ceiling dramatically. Leaving Seungmin to drag him to the elevator, nodding a greeting to the concierge. Both of them rolled their eyes at the dramatic angel that is Hyunjin. They didn’t stop holding hands until they were inside of their apartment and had to make food.

 

Seungmin looked through the fridge, focusing hard on the ingredients in front of him, “We have about everything, love. What do you want me to make?” He turned to see Hyunjin with his mouth dropped, his ears bright red. 

 

“Huh...What?” Hyunjin barely choked out. Seungmin looked back at Hyunjin with no change in expression. He didn’t seem to realize what he said out loud, he didn’t realize the affectionate name he just called Hyunjin. It wasn’t like he hadn’t called him affectionate names before, but it was nothing so sweet in such a domestic situation. It threw Hyunjin off. He started thinking of whether or not he would hear that everyday if they were together.  _Do you think he uses affectionate names more when he's with someone? I wonder if he likes being called sweet names too? Do you think he would use them all the time, for everything? . . ."Love, can you hand me the remote?" or even "How was work, Love?" . God, what if he used "my love?", that would be even cuter._

 

“I asked what you wanted me to make for us to eat,” The light in the kitchen made little stars in the boys’ eyes as he repeated himself. “I can make ramen or cold noodles, if you want. It’s good to have at night sometimes, I think it’s a delicious relaxing night food, you know?”

 

Hyunjin got even more lost in his thoughts,  _ If I got up and kissed him right now, would he freak out? His lips probably are so soft, his voice is soft so his lips must be soft to match. . . Right? I’m pretty sure they would be. I could run my fingers through his hair too, and kiss him even more. Oh, cold noodles sound good right now with some hot green tea.  _

 

Seungmin waited for an answer, smiling a bit at how dazed Hyunjin looked. Leaning on his hand sitting at their table, he looked sleepy and almost serene.  _ What is he thinking about? This dork.  _ Seungmin walked over to Hyunjin, affectionately ruffling his hair. Expecting Hyunjin to ask him not to touch his hair and pout, Seungmin giggles. But Hyunjin never asks and he just stares at him softly. 

 

“Cold noodles with green tea sounds good, right?” Hyunjin says to Seungmin a big, round smile on his face. He pulls him into a hug, his hands around his waist. Seungmin standing and Hyunjin still sitting down, he could feel the boy standing start laughing. 

 

“Yeah, Hyunjin. That sounds perfect, I’ll make some. Thank you for driving us home, tonight.”

 

“You know you don’t have to thank me for that.” The boys settled down for the night, Hyunjin unaware of how pulling Seungmin close made his heart race. Both boys settled into their rooms until about 3 A.M. where only one of the boys was woken from a seeming strange noise in their apartment.


	3. he woke up next to him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> GET READY FOR SOME FLUFFFFFF

Hyunjin wasn’t a light sleeper persay, but he sleeps with his door open. Therefore, whenever Seungmin goes to the bathroom or gets water in the middle of the night, Hyunjin wakes up. Usually too sleepy to get up or call out, he just sits up for a second and then flops back down falling asleep again.

 

Yet, this time felt different. Hyunjin could see it in the way that Seungmin slumped to the bathroom. He could tell in the way that Seungmin turned on the light after closing the door. Hyunjin knew Seungmin’s habits by now. He knew that sleepy Seungmin never remembered to close the door first as to not wake Hyunjin. The lights always turned on first, this wouldn’t be concerning considering that Seungmin has sleepless nights too. Still this time seemed different, in the way Seungmin walked and only the sink water running. Seungmin filtered out of the bathroom in darkness, sniffing. 

 

_ Sniffing? Has he been crying? _ Seungmin seemed to stop at his door a second. “Minnie? Are you awake?” He called out, the answer obvious, but groggy Hyunjin didn’t care. Seungmin seemed to think for a moment before answering back.

 

“Yeah, Hyunjinnie. I’m sorry for waking you up,” His voice was off, it seemed deeper. Maybe he was crying. Seungmin was hiding half his body behind the door frame, his head hanging low.

 

Hyunjin sleepily crawled out of bed, “What’s wrong, baby?” He didn’t really recognize the name that slipped out of his mouth and he was too tired to really care anyways. Seungmin seemed to hear it and he made a small choking sound.

 

_ His voice is so deep when he’s sleepy, I forgot.  _ He remembered how attractive his voice was, he couldn’t have blushed he was immediately distracted. Seungmin was almost panicking to himself, hoping that Hyunjin didn’t turn on the hall light and see his swollen face and bloodshot eyes. He had nightmares again, and they made him so sad. It wasn’t the nightmares themselves, but the feeling of helplessness that overwhelmed him when he woke up triggered a depressive episode. He had been trying to muffle his cries into his pillow to not wake Hyunjin. He didn’t want to bother him, considering he used to have insomnia. It started to go away the past couple of months naturally, without medication. Seungmin was thankful for that, he didn’t like seeing his Hyunjin so tired. 

 

“Nothing…. Nothing Hyunjin, I’m fine. Go back to bed, you’ll miss rest,” Seungmin tried to quickly open his door, but not until Hyunjin turned on the hall light. He shot his head down, covering his face with his arm. “Just go back to sleep.” He turned to go into his room, but Hyunjin grabbed his shoulder spinning him around to face him.

 

“Min, are you crying? Wait. . . You are crying. What happened?” Hyunjin put his hand on Seungmin’s cheek gently, making the younger boy face him eye to eye. His cheeks were pink, lips and eyes puffy. His nose was read, and the blood vessels in his eyes were strongly visible. “Oh, baby, come here. Tell me what happened.” Hyunjin pulled the crying boy into his chest, his tears wetting the shoulder of his shirt. 

 

“I just. . . had a nightmare, it’s fine, Hyun. . . Hyunjin,” Seungmin barely got the words out through the hiccups in his crying. He could barely breathe, he felt so sad and numb. Hyunjin rubbing his back softly with his hands made him want to pour everything out. “Actually. . . no, it isn’t. I woke up feeling terrible and it triggered my depression. . . and I don’t know, but I couldn’t stop crying.” Hyunjin squeezed him tighter, rocking them side to side. It was lulling and Seungmin started to calm down. When he had stopped crying completely, he let go of Hyunjin. Backing up, wiping his tears, he thanked him. His apology only was received with Hyunjin’s head falling to the side in question. 

 

Seungmin only saw Hyunjin’s hand being held out for him, half of his body ready to go back into his room.  _ Does he want me to go in there with him?  _ It wasn’t like the two boys had never cuddled or fallen asleep with each other, but never after such an emotional moment. Seungmin still took his hand, letting Hyunjin lead him into his room. He turned the light off in the hallway and lead Seungmin to one side of the bed, himself walking around to the other side.

 

Hyunjin was still sleepy, but not sleepy enough to be unaware of what he was doing. He wasn’t sleepy enough to be unaware that Seungmin willingly crawled into his bed. He wasn’t sleepy enough to be unaware that he pulled Seungmin into him, chest to chest. He wasn’t sleepy enough to be unaware that Seungmin snuggled closer and smiled. He wasn’t sleepy enough to be unaware his chest filled with warmth and his stomach with butterflies. He was sleepy enough to be unaware that it was the best both of the boys had slept in months.

 

The next day Seungmin woke up to a weird sort of ache in his body, his eyes feeling heavier than usual. He remembered how much he cried the night before and cringed, remembering Hyunjin hugging him until he stopped. They were best friends and that’s normal, but that didn’t stop Seungmin and his fat crush on Hyunjin from being embarrassed. 

 

He finally opened his eyes, realizing that the weight on his waist wasn’t a blanket. Hyunjin had his arm draped lightly over his side. Soft breathing coming from the boy that was still asleep. He didn’t want to wake him up, and he really didn’t mean to, but he just admired him for a while. His eyelashes, he just couldn’t get over his eyelashes. His lips always seemed like they were formed into a pout, even when he was sleeping. His full cheeks and his cute nose and. . . Seungmin was whipped again.

 

Being smart, he didn’t want to get caught staring so he reached over and grabbed his phone. Scrolling through twitter for a couple of minutes, until the sleeping boy next to him pulled him a little closer and tighter. Then, he had to switch to instagram, because he lost his attention span for twitter. Slowly, Hyunjin woke up and Seungmin chuckled a little before a deep ‘good morning’ escapes his mouth. Hyunjin grumbled a ‘good morning’ back before closing his eyes again and falling back asleep.

 

Seungmin thanked the universe for Hyunjin falling back asleep, he might have seen how red his cheeks and ears became. Especially when Hyunjin pulled him even closer.


	4. he was distracted.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is really pt. 1 to the post cuddling session, the next pt. being uploaded later on! whenever i finish it basically.

Nights of cuddling were not uncommon for friends, or even best friends. Hyunjin knew that for sure, so why did he feel so different about it. He realized that his half asleep mind did the only thing he could think of and that was drag Seungmin to sleep next to him. It was completely normal to care for a friend like that, but what wasn’t normal was how fast Hyunjin’s heartbeat felt. Honestly, he could have sworn he felt Seungmin’s match the rhythm his was at.  _ Did I make him uncomfortable? We’ve cuddled before, I really hope he wasn't uncomfortable. _ Hyunjin knew it must have helped Seungmin, because he stopped crying and seemed fine in the morning. Well,  _ seemed. _ He was acting off in the car that morning, but to be fair, so was Hyunjin. Hyunjin was just embarrassed that he cuddled so much with Seungmin in his sleep.  _ His skin was so soft and he smelled like fresh laundry and soap. I love that smell. . . _ Hyunjin took a deep breath, trying to remember the soft boy’s scent. Why did Hyunjin smell something like burnt coffee?

 

Hyunjin forgot he was at work, he let the shot expire on the latte he was working on. He groaned, dumping it in the sink and starting again. “Whoa, hyung,” Jeongin noticed from the other counter, he was pouring foam and adorning the coffee he was making with a dove. “You haven’t let a shot expire since the first week you got here.” 

 

“I know, Jeongin,” Hyunjin said, irritation coming through his voice. He completely got lost in thought, his entire mind taken up by thoughts of Seungmin.  _ Did he eat breakfast? _ Hyunjin should have checked in the car.  _ Is he drinking water? _ Seungmin works so hard, he probably forgot.  _ Tonight is caffeine night.  _ Hyunjin and Seungmin drink decaffeinated coffee all week long until friday night, when they both enjoy a cup of pure coffee and make food together. They usually watch their favorite show over coffee and food and talk late into the night, sometimes driving to the prettiest parts of the city at 2 A.M.

 

“Be nice to the baby, Hyunjin,” Minho said from the cash register, smiling cheekily at the boy he handed back change. “It’ll be right up, don’t worry.” The boy’s puffy cheeks flushed and he quickly walked away towards his friends, both of them with dyed blonde hair and australian accents dripping off their tongues. Hyunjin decided they must be close, with the closeness they showed in public. The boys holding each other laughing over the flustered boy. Both Jeongin and Minho were incredibly attractive and Hyunjin had to admit that he was really flustered the first month he started working at the coffee shop, especially during training. 

 

“Damn, Minho, you already flustered that poor boy?” Hyunjin shook his head, making the iced americano for the kid. Hyunjin noticed that under the name ‘Jisung’, there was a number and another name attached to it that read: ‘minho a.k.a. the cute cashier at ur fave coffee shop :)’. Hyunjin rolled his eyes at the smiley face and double cupped the drink, just in case this went well for Minho and suddenly the boy wanted to keep the cup. Hyunjin would do something like that himself, so just in case he decided to help out the kid.

 

“It’s my charm,” Minho winked, Hyunjin now immune to the older boy’s ‘charm’ stared back at him with no change in expression or reddening of ears. He finished the drink and called out the name on the cup. 

“Jisung!” The flushed boy ran up and thanked Hyunjin for the drink, immediately sipping it and smiling. 

 

“Good?” Hyunjin asked, Jisung nodded and then, choked on his second sip when Minho came from behind Hyunjin. Peeking his head from around his shoulders, and slowly walking closer to the counter, even leaning over. His hands placed down, so he could get closer to the boy in front of him.

 

“Next time I’ll make it for you and it’ll be even better!” The poor boy nodded, covering his mouth with his hand and running towards his friends who were laughing as Hyunjin rolled his eyes and hit Minho’s arm, a soft ‘pat’ sound being made in return.

 

“Little does he know that I almost just shit my pants putting my number on there, he’s so cute I might cry.” Minho said, his voice shaky. Hyunjin knew he was actually the most nervous person when it came to flirting and he only let it show after. Jeongin smiled a bit, knowing that Minho was more affected than usual by this one customer, much more affected than the others.

 

“Excuse me, Jisung?” Jeongin left the counter to approach the boy. Hyunjin and Minho could hear Jeongin say, “I just wanted to let you know not to be embarrassed about getting nervous, because Minho just said he almost shit his pants putting his number on your cup. Oh! Also, he said and I quote, ‘he’s so cute I might cry.’” Jisung and his friends laughed and as soon as Jisung looked over towards the counter, Hyunjin felt something move quickly next to him. Minho was squatting on the floor, pressed up against the shelves under the counter, embarrassed by Jeongin. The sight of his coworker clutching Hyunjin’s leg in fear, staring up at him with wide eyes, mouthing the words ‘end me’ was almost too much to handle. Hyunjin desperately tried to keep his cool, but he ended up snorting. Five boys were doubled over in laughter at the situation. The sixth was on the floor groaning in embarrassment and the rest of the coffee shop smiling at the happiness that was exuding from the front of the shop.

 

Hyunjin’s mind was left on Seungmin the entire rest of work, despite Minho’s groaning and Jeongin’s complaining at him about their Hyung. He nervously started making latte after latte,practicing all the designs he could think of. The last night of the week they were allowed to practice art on the tops of coffees for customer satisfaction. He tasted every single one, never satisfied with what he had. It was closing time and he finally got the measurements perfect and the timing perfect to pour the milk over the shot, though Jeongin swore to him that Hyunjin’s coffees always tasted that way and he was just worrying for no reason. Hyunjin looked down at the two coffees he made and the shop in front of him. The tables were already stacked with chairs, his coworkers had already cleaned up. They just sat there talking and waiting for Hyunjin to realize.

 

“Why didn’t you guys tell me we were cleaning up?” Hyunjin said, immediately feeling terrible for leaving the dirty work to them. They only smiled, it was a soft smile. Something Hyunjin usually saw, but never accompanied with a tenderness and care that these showed.

 

“Your head isn’t here right now, and you made a damn good rose on top of that coffee. Give it to Seungmin-hyung, yeah?” Jeongin said, Minho smiling behind him, sweeping the floor. Hyunjin’s mouth dropped, unrecognizable words leaking out of his mouth. The older only chuckling at him in response. 

 

“He’s oblivious, but we aren’t.” Minho smiled, then he pointed to the clock. “It’s already 8:45 though, aren’t you late?” Hyunjin swears he had never been so quick out the door. He hoped Seungmin wouldn’t be mad or take it the wrong way. In all honesty, he was just thinking of him.


	5. he insisted on driving.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SOFT SOFT SOFT.

Seungmin waited outside. He got out early from work, which he was happy about since usually Hyunjin is done with work 30 minutes before him. He waited until 8:45 and then began to worry. Hyunjin is never this late, ever.  _ What if something happened to him? Oh God, what if he walked home? It’s not safe, especially this city at night. He probably doesn’t want to talk to you, since last night. Good job Seungmin, you ruined caffeine night.  _ He’s leaning against the building, but soon starts pacing with worry. He hears someone in the distance, and he sees Hyunjin walking. He looks tired, Seungmin feels guilty.  _ He’s tired, because I kept him up. This is my fault.  _

 

“Seungminnie!” Hyunjin called out his nickname, walking up quickly and handing him the coffee that he carefully kept stable in his hands as to not ruin the artwork. “I hope you like it. I’m sorry I’m so late, thank you for waiting for me. I know it sucked, I’m so sorry. I just got caught up in making the artwork on top and today was just a lot and I’m so sorry, I didn’t look at the time until it was too late.” He rambled on, giving time for Seungmin to look down at the cup.  _ This one is so beautiful, Jeongin had to have made this one, right? No. . . he just said he was working on lattes. This is so good, I feel even worse now god he’s probably so exhausted and he still brought me coffee.  _

 

“Hyunjin, it’s okay. I’m sorry for keeping you up last night and making you so tired.” Seungmin took a picture of the coffee before taking a sip of it. The coffee hit his stomach perfectly, it was perfect for Seungmin. He didn’t like his coffee too sweet or with too much milk, he just liked the coffee taste muted. Hyunjin knew exactly how to make it and he made it extra well this time. “Hyunjin!” Seungmin almost yelled, startling the boy in front of him. Hyunjin had just drank half his coffee in tired desperation and stammered out a surprised ‘huh’. “This art is beautiful and I think this is quite possibly the best coffee you’ve ever made me! Thank you so much.” Seungmin hugged him, desperately wanting his attention. He had been thinking about him all day and how he held him all night. Seungmin remembered how happy he felt, his head feeling light all day. But his mind was also plagued with worry over whether or not the older was upset at him.

 

“Really? I made a lot of them before that were not as successful so I’m glad you got the new one and saw the new artwork. It was kinda fun to practice, to be honest,” Hyunjin pulled at the sleeves of his tee shirt, a nervous habit he always had. Sometimes he begged Seungmin to fix his shirts since the sleeves always were stretched out with fingerprints indented in them. Of course, he obliged, enjoying the fact that he was needed for something so small, yet important. (And Hyunjin enjoyed having Seungmin pay attention to him, but more so that Seungmin could help him fix one of his flaws.)

 

“Yeah, I love it. . . Hyunjin, let’s go home. I’m cold,” Seungmin pulled at Hyunjin’s sleeve and the older nodded. Seungmin dressed casually today, a tradition in his office. They all had to dress relatively nice, but absolutely no heels or blazers or dress shoes were allowed on fridays. He wore a short sleeve baby blue button up over a white shirt, only the top button was done. Clad in black jeans and white sneakers, he looked more his age. He dressed like he was in his early-mid 20s and the office always melted when he came in on fridays. The older women said he looked even more like their baby and they always described fridays as “the real, cute seungmin”. Though he loved an environment where he had to maintain a professional look, fridays were still his favorite.

 

“I’ll drive aga-” Hyunjin started, but was interrupted by Seunugmin who seemed to have a fire in his eyes. Sometimes the younger was fiercely protective of the older and this was one of those times. Hyunin never really minded, liking the extra attention that Seungmin showed him.

 

“You will most definitely  _ not  _ be driving for  _ not only  _ a second day in a row, but for the fact that you drove this morning and you look like you might pass out at any second now. I know you by now and your caffeine addiction is not going to allow that one cup of coffee to stop you from knocking out after food when we get home. So you’re gonna sit your pretty ass down in the passenger seat and I’m going to drive, okay?” Seungmin said, opening the passenger door, motioning for Hyunjin to sit inside. Seungmin was starting to feel almost the same sensation as anger, but it was just protective. He just wanted Hyunjin to be safe and he knows he will be if he is not driving. Seungmin behind the wheel means he controls the speed, the music, the awareness of what’s around them- meaning he can keep Hyunjin safe to the best of his own abilities.

 

“My ass is pretty, huh?” Hyunjin said, laughing as he got in the car. Seungmin didn’t miss a beat. Hyunjin choked on his coffee he was drinking.

 

“Very,” He closed the door.


	6. he carried him home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ummm so idk if y'all are actually ready for this but uh,, good luck uwu <3

The way home was usual. It was late, the city traffic died down right as they got past main streets and onto the freeway. It was less than 10 minutes on the freeway home, so the boys weren’t really worried about it. The time it took inside the busy city was what took so long to get home. The headlights of all the cars passing them by shone on Hyunjin’s face, but he was dozing out of pure exhaustion. Seungmin scoffed to himself and shook his head. If there was one thing he knew better than anything else, it was Hyunjin. He knew Hyunjin would have been really on edge driving, worrying about falling asleep, but not wanting to get into a crash. Seungmin knew it would be better if he drove, and so he did.

 

He heard Hyunjin move a little in the passenger seat, he was trying to stay awake. Seungmin caught a look of him when he looked at his side mirrors, he was leaning against the window, eyes half closed, a soft smile adorning his lips. He felt something pull at his heart and Seungmin desperately wanted to pull the car over and kiss Hyunjin. When he started merging, he caught himself and stopped before he did something he regretted. 

 

They made it home, Seungmin opening Hyunjin’s car door. The boy had fallen asleep with half a coffee left. He smiles, Hyunjin looked really soft asleep. Seungmin fought the urge to kiss his nose. He berated himself in his head,  _ Seungmin stop he doesn’t like you, there’s no reason for him to. He’s been your best friend for years, there’s no way he would fall for you. This isn’t a dumb harry styles fanfiction you read when you were thirteen, this is serious.  _ Seungmin lightly shook awake Hyunjin, knowing he couldn’t carry the coffee and him. But when Hyunjin opened his eyes, Seungmin melted at the mess of the sleepy boy in front of him. He caved. He could make two trips.

 

Seungmin stood slightly crouched, his back towards Hyunjin. He waited, not wanting to say anything. For some reason, he felt like asking him if he could carry him was different. It felt too intimate, too sincere this time. It wasn’t like this hadn’t happened before. Both Hyunjin and Seungmin were of similar builds, they had almost equal muscle and height, Hyunjin barely surpassing Seungmin in both, so riding on each other’s backs wasn’t an issue. 

 

Yet, Seungmin felt that the way Hyunjin’s sleepy eyes and pouting lips affected him, that offering help would result in the absolute caving of Seungmin. He had to control himself, he wasn’t going to kiss him.  _ I’m not going to kiss him.  _

 

Seungmin repeated this in his head from the moment Hyunjin softly fell onto his back. From the car to the elevator, Hyunjin laid his head on Seungmin’s shoulder sleepily, he could barely keep his own weight up.  _ I’m not going to kiss him.  _

 

Hyunjin put his hand out in the elevator, barely awake, because he wanted to push the “4” to get to their floor. Seungmin leaned forward, and right after Hyunjin pushed the button he wrapped his arm around Seungmin again.  _ I’m not going to kiss him.  _

 

When they got to their room, Seungmin struggled to open the door. As he pulled his keys out of his pocket finally, Hyunjin started to move seeing him struggling. He held on tighter, “Don’t you dare, Hwang Hyunjin.” Hyunjin stopped moving and hugged him tighter, “Okay, Seungminnie.”  _ I’m not going to kiss him.  _

 

“Hyunjin, couch or bed?” Seungmin asked him, knowing the boy was awake now. Seungmin turned his head to see Hyunjin looking at him from the side too. Their faces inches away from each other, Seungmin caught himself looking at his lips and had to turn his head away quickly. “Where are you going to be?” Hyunjin asked him. Seungmin smiled to himself, “Probably the couch. I think I’m going to finish my coffee and write some more of my book.” He was going to watch a movie with Hyunjin like usual, but the boy was exhausted. He just wanted him to get rest. “Then couch.” Hyunjin laid his head back down on Seungmin’s shoulder.  _ I’m not going to kiss him. _

 

Seungmin sat him down slowly, leaving for a minute before coming back with Hyunjin’s pillow and blanket. Helping make him as comfortable as possible since he didn’t choose to rest in his own bed. The apartment was relatively quiet. Only the sound of two softly snoring dogs and cars passing by filled the silence, that is until Hyunjin spoke “where are you going?” Seungmin was already on his way to get the coffees and lock the car. “To the car, Hyunjinnie. The coffee.” Hyunjin wrinkle his nose. “I’ll just make you a better one.” He smiled to himself. The boy was always trying to one up himself, it was cute.  _ I’m not going to kiss him.  _

 

Seungmin left, becoming very aware of his surroundings. Parking structures at night weren’t exactly the safest things. Thank goodness his apartment building was safe, full of neighbors that vowed to always keep an ear out. He got the coffee out of the car, and locked the doors. He already checked the backseat and the trunk, just in case. When he got in the elevator, he let out a big sigh. He was almost home, almost to Hyunjin. Nothing left to do. Seungmin finally entered his shared apartment, locking the door. He turned around to see the boy he was desperately in love with laying on the couch, eyes closed.  _ I’m not going to kiss him. _

 

He sat next to him placing both coffee drinks on the table in front of him. He thought for a minute and made up his mind. Taking a long swig of the drink, he set them down on the counters in the kitchen. He went straight to the cough and lifted Hyunjin up, taking his head. “What’s going on?” So he wasn’t asleep, that’s good. “I’m not going to the couch, I’m sleeping early.” Hyunjin looked confused. “Then why did you say couch?” He tilted his head to the side.  _ I’m gonna lose my fucking mind if he pulls that shit. I’m not going to kiss him. I can’t.  _

 

Seungmin looks away, his free hand immediately coming up the scratch the back of his neck. “I changed my mind, seeing you look so sleepy, I felt more tired just looking at you.” Hyunjin seemed to think. “Okay, then you should go to sleep then. I don’t want you to keep yourself up when you’re tired.” Seungmin looked at him closely in the eyes. Something was there and he couldn’t read it. He was trying so hard to understand, but he couldn’t. Something in his brown eyes seemed to glisten, they seemed bigger than usual to Seungmin. That’s when Seungmin realized he was leaning in closer to him, without realizing it. He quickly backed up, letting go of Hyunjin’s hand. His eyes were wide and his mouth covered by a hand. He almost kissed him. He’d been telling himself not to, but he almost did.  _ I’m not going to kiss him. _

 

There were no words spoken between the two, except expressions. Hyunjin looked deep in thought, like he didn’t quite process what exactly just happened. He was sleeping ten minutes ago. Seungmin was trying to fight the tears that were pricking the edges of his eyes. He heard Hyunjin say “Don’t freak out.” Before Seungmin could ask, he felt hands on his cheeks and lips on his own. Hyunjin was kissing him, he pulled away before Seungmin could really savor it. Hyunjin looked at him, fear and concern in his eyes. Seungmin smiled and pulled him in to kiss him again, but softer.  _ I kissed him.  _


End file.
